Various infant seats are well known in the prior art. As referred to herein, the typical infant seat comprises a rigid shell formed of molded plastic or the like, and having an upper surface, often a padded surface, upon which an infant or small child may be positioned. Such infant seats typically include a full back/head support which extends slightly above the head of the infant such that the entire torso and head of the infant may rest against the upper surface of the infant seat. Examples of commercially available infant seats of the prior art include the following: Century Model 565; Century Model 590; Kolcraft Infant Rider Model 13822; Kolcraft Rock 'N Ride Model 13101; and others.
Although some infant seats of the prior art are sufficiently portable to be carried within the arms of an adult human being, such carrying of the infant/child seat typically requires use of one or both arms of the adult. Even though some infant/child seats incorporate a handle, it is typically necessary for an adult human being to continually utilize one hand to grasp the handle of the infant seat. Thus, carrying an infant or small child within an infant seat frequently impairs the ability of the adult to perform other tasks, such as wheeling a shopping cart, dialing a telephone, carrying other items, etc. . .
Accordingly, there exists a present need in the art for the invention of an infant seat apparatus which is configured to hold an infant or small child seated or resting on a infant seat, and which may be suspended or slung from the upper body (e.g., over the superior aspect of the shoulder) of an adult, thereby freeing the hands of the adult for other purposes.